The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud

February 16, 2004
Not even death can keep two brothers from meeting to play ball: it sounds like a sentimental TV movie, doesn't it? Actually, Sherwood's second novel (after The Man Who Ate the 747
) is warmhearted but not maudlin, exploring the bonds between the living and the dead and the lengths to which we'll go for love. A secret jaunt to a Sox game ends in tragedy when Charlie St. Cloud, who isn't old enough for a driver's license, crashes the car he pinched from a neighbor. The hearts of Charlie and his younger brother, Sam, stop, but miraculously, Charlie is resuscitated. Thirteen years later, Charlie is 28 and working as the caretaker for the Marblehead cemetery where Sam is buried; he's also spending every evening playing catch with the ghost of 12-year-old Sam, who's putting off going to heaven for the game. Charlie's world gets shaken up, though, by feisty, beautiful Tess Carroll, a sailor who had plans to be one of the first women to circumnavigate the globe solo. They have a perfect date, and sparks fly. But then news comes that her boat is lost at sea, and Charlie, whose gift of seeing spirits has grown, realizes that her fading apparition is the result of a failing effort to rescue her. Sherwood tugs at readers' heartstrings throughout the novel, and the sentimentality mostly works. Charlie's final effort to save his lady love from ghostly oblivion strains credibility, of course, but isn't that the point of a tale about love triumphant? (Mar. 2)

Forecast:
Glowing praise from Nicholas Sparks (he calls Sherwood's book "everything a wonderful novel should be") should help convince browsers to buy.

January 1, 2004
Charlie St. Cloud loves his kid brother, Sam, more than anything else in the world. So one day, he "borrows" their neighbor's car and takes Sam to see a Red Sox game, never dreaming that their escapade will end in a terrible accident that Sam does not survive. Thirteen years pass. Still keeping his promise to his brother that he'll never leave him, Charlie is the caretaker at Waterside, the cemetery where Sam is buried. Every evening, as soon as Waterside is secured for the night, Charlie goes to a hidden area of the memorial park and plays catch with his brother. Meanwhile, master sailor Tess is ready to make a solo trip around the world even though she loves the "snug little village" of Marblehead, Massachusetts. But in spite of her state-of-the-art vessel, her tip-top physical fitness, and the drive of an adventurer, she barely survives a disastrous trial run. Shaken, she visits her father's grave and meets Charlie, who is immediately drawn to her. However, he believes that because he robbed Sam of his life, he doesn't deserve love, but the more he's around the living, the weaker his link to the dead becomes. Uniquely lyrical, Sherwood's story of a devotion so strong it transcends death is mystical, magical, and moving.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)